Since the end of the Second World War, the Soviet and later Russian embassy has been located in Tehtaankatu, and the name of the street has been commonly used as shorthand for Russian influence in Finland, especially during the Soviet era.

Both the Finnish name Tehtaankatu and the Swedish name Fabriksgatan mean "Factory Street". The names were given to the street in 1887, because at that time an industrial zone was planned at the area which is now Eira. That plan was soon abandoned, but the name has remained.